Farmer thanks hospital for saving his life

Gemma Sherlock

A grateful farmer has thanked a hospital for saving his life after he underwent a major heart operation.

Harry Clarke, from Tewitfield near Carnforth, has donated £500 of his Golden Wedding gift money to a hospital charity as a way of thanking the heart surgeon who enabled him to carry on farming.

“I was that happy with how they treated me and the quick service I got,” said Harry, 75.

“I just wanted to reward it. I wanted to thank Mr Duncan, the surgeon, very much for all he did for me.”

Harry first realised there was a problem with his health when he started suffering tightness of the chest which turned out to be angina.

He went to hospital for further investigations and luckily he was able to be fitted in for his triple bypass at the Lancashire Cardiac Centre within a week.

“I was pleased to have my operation so quickly. Now I’m back on the farm doing everything I’ve always done,” said the grandad-of-four.

Just one day after his operation, Harry was making plans for fencing on his family farm and over recent weeks he has been back out lambing in the fields.

Harry visited cardiothoracic surgeon, Mr Andrew Duncan, at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, a year to the day before his heart operation on May 19.

Harry and his wife Noeline celebrated their anniversary on April 1 and decided to give the money they received to Lancashire Cardiac Centre’s ‘Heart of Gold’ fund which is run by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s charity, Blue Skies Hospitals Fund.

Noeline said: “I look at Harry’s operation as an insurance policy. We were lucky that it was found in time.”